Power connector using resistive sensing

ABSTRACT

There is provided a power connector system for electrically connecting a power source to a device. The power connector comprises a first component and a second component which each have a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on a face thereof. The contacts each include an electrically resistive element having an impedance. When the first and second components are coupled, a logic unit controls enables current flow between the first and second components based on the impedances.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation stemming from U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/476,093, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/442,519, filed on Jan. 5, 2017, the contents of allof which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

FIELD

The present application relates to a power connector for powertransmission, and in particular, to a power connector which usesresistive sensing.

BACKGROUND

Conventional power connectors generally include a male plug withconducting prongs extending outward from the plug, and a female plugwith sockets for accepting the conducting prongs on the male plug. Themale and female components are typically held together by the frictionalforce between the prongs and the walls of the cavities. When connected,a power connector allows power to flow from a power source on one sideof the connector, to a device on the other side of the connector.

The insertion and removal of a conventional male plug into and from aconventional female plug can be cumbersome. At times, the pulling forcerequired to remove the male end may be excessive. For example, in coldweather, components may contract slightly, which may increase thefrictional force between the male prongs and the female sockets. It ispossible that exerting an excessive pulling force to separate the maleand female ends could damage the plugs and/or the associatedelectronics.

For example, block heaters are used throughout the world to helpautomobile engines turn over in cold temperatures. Current block heatersare plugged into power main lines with the use of standard 14-16American Wire Gauge wires, which terminate with NEMA 5-15 connectors. Incold conditions, the metallic pins and plastic housing of the plugs maycontract, which makes it increasingly difficult to connect anddisconnect the power to the block heater. Users may be required to exertthemselves physically (by having to apply a force on the order of tensof pounds of pulling force) to disconnect the cords. This may result infraying of the cord and plug connection points, exposed live wires andimproper contacts (which may lead to a shock and/or electrocution),strain injuries to the user, and failure of the block heater. There isalso the possibility that the user forgets to unplug the block heater,and pulls away from the outlet. This could cause damage to the blockheater and/or the vehicle, as well as the connection wires. It would bedesirable to have power connector components that can be joined andseparated with a moderate amount of force required from the user.

Moreover, conventional plugs do not provide control over the flow ofcurrent. Once plugged in, conventional power connectors allow current toflow from the power source to the device. This can pose a safety risk incertain situations, particularly when a power connector is used fortransmitting high voltage AC signals. It would be desirable to havepower connectors which do not suffer from the difficulties andchallenges described above.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one aspect, there is provided a power connector forelectrically connecting a power source to a device, the power connectorcomprising: a first component comprising: a first set of electricalcontacts including a first electrically resistive element having a firstimpedance; a logic unit; and a first face having the first set ofelectrical contacts disposed thereon; and a second component comprising:a second set of electrical contacts including a second electricallyresistive element having a second impedance; and a second face havingthe second set of electrical contacts disposed thereon; wherein couplingthe first component to the second component causes the first set ofelectrical contacts to form an electrical connection with the second setof electrical contacts; and wherein the logic unit is configured toenable current flow between the first component and the second componentbased at least in part on the first impedance and the second impedance.

In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a method ofenabling a current flow between a power source and a device, the methodcomprising: providing a first component having a first set of contactson a first face, wherein the first set of contacts includes a firstelectrically resistive element having a first impedance; providing asecond component having a second set of contacts on a second face,wherein the second set of contacts includes a second electricallyresistive element having a second impedance; forming an electricalconnection between the first set of contacts and the second set ofcontacts; enabling current flow between the first component and thesecond component based at least in part on the first impedance and thesecond impedance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In the figures, which illustrate example embodiments,

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of active and passive components,respectively, of a power connector, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2A is a front view of an active component, according to someembodiments;

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view (A-A) of the active component,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view (B-B) of the active component,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3A is a front view of a passive component, according to someembodiments;

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view (F-F) of the passive component,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view (E-E) of the passive component,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4A is an illustration of a first set of protrusions on the passivecomponent being brought into contact with a first set of recesses on theactive component, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4B is an illustration of a second set of protrusions on the passivecomponent being brought into contact with a second set of recesses onthe active component, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example active component, according tosome embodiments;

FIG. 6 is an expanded block diagram of the plug connectors of an activecomponent, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 7 is an expanded block diagram of the plug connectors of a passivecomponent, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example active plug component connectedto an example passive plug component, in accordance with someembodiments;

FIG. 9A is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an activecomponent;

FIG. 9B is a front view of the active component shown in FIG. 9A;

FIG. 9C is a side view of the active component shown in FIG. 9A;

FIG. 9D is a perspective view of an example passive component;

FIG. 9E is a side view of the example passive component shown in FIG.9D;

FIG. 9F is a front view of the example passive component shown in FIG.9D;

FIG. 9G is a cross-sectional view (A-A) of the example passive componentshown in FIG. 9F;

FIG. 9H is a perspective view of the example active component andpassive components being brought into proximity;

FIG. 10A is a perspective view of an example component in an embodimentof an active component;

FIG. 10B is a front view of the example component of FIG. 10A;

FIG. 10C is a side view of the example component of FIG. 10A;

FIG. 10D is a cross-sectional view (A-A) of the example component ofFIG. 10A;

FIG. 10E is a perspective view of an example component in an embodimentof a passive component;

FIGS. 10F, 10G and 10H are front, side, and cross-sectional views,respectively of the example component of FIG. 10E;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of showing the circuitry in an exampleembodiment of the power connector; and

FIG. 12 is an example flowchart illustrating a method of enablingcurrent flow between a power source and a device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The systems and methods described herein may be implemented in a varietyof ways. FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of an active component101 and a passive component 151, respectively, of a power connector 100,according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the active component101 and the passive component 151 may be brought into contact to form anelectrical connection. It should be noted that the active and passivecomponents can be realized using many different shapes, and that theembodiments described herein are intended as non-limiting examples.

In some embodiments, the power connector 100 includes active component101 and passive component 151. Active component 101 and passivecomponent 151 each have a plurality of electrical contacts disposedthereon. When the faces of the active and passive components arecoupled, the electrical contacts on the active and passive componentsform an electrical connection. In some embodiments, AC current ispermitted to flow between one or more of the electrical contacts on theactive and passive components. In some embodiments, control circuitry orlogic may govern whether AC current is allowed to flow between theactive and passive components. Various embodiments and featuresassociated therewith are discussed in further detail below.

FIG. 2A is a front view of active component 101, according to someembodiments. Active component 101 comprises face 120, which may besubstantially planar and/or contoured. Face 120 may comprise a pluralityof electrical contacts 102, 104, 106 and 108 disposed thereon. In someembodiments, the face 120 further comprises a ferromagnetic element 110disposed thereon. In some embodiments, the ferromagnetic element 110 maybe a plate made of steel or of any magnetic material.

The electrical contact 102 may be a hot contact. The electrical contact104 may be a neutral contact. The electrical contact 106 may be a groundcontact. The electrical contact 108 may be a resistive contact having animpedance associated therewith.

Although the example embodiment in FIG. 2A illustrates four electricalcontacts, it should be appreciated that other embodiments arecontemplated which may have more than four electrical contacts, or lessthan four electrical contacts. For example, certain countries do notrequire a ground contact and as such, some embodiments may not feature aground contact.

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view (A-A) of the active component 101shown in FIG. 2A. In this example embodiment, the face 120 of activecomponent 101 includes two recessed portions 112 and 114, in whichelectrical contacts 102 and 104, respectively, are located. In someembodiments, electrical contacts 102 and 104 have a concave shape.

FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view (B-B) of the active component 101shown in FIG. 2A. It can be seen that face 120 of active component 101further includes a recess 117 in which electrical contacts 106 and 108are located. In this example embodiment, electrical contacts 106 and 108are shaped with a substantially trapezoidal cross-sectional shape, suchthat the combination of electrical contacts 106 and 108 forms awedge-like shape. In some embodiments, the depth of recess 117 from face120 is shallower than the depth of the recesses 112 and 114 housingelectrical contacts 102 and 104.

FIG. 3A is a front view of a passive component 151, according to someembodiments. The passive component comprises a face 170, which may besubstantially planar and/or contoured. Face 170 may comprise a pluralityof electrical contacts 152, 154, 156 and 158 disposed thereon. In someembodiments, face 170 further comprises a magnetic element 160 disposedthereon.

The electrical contact 152 may be a hot contact. The electrical contact154 may be a neutral contact. The electrical contact 156 may be a groundcontact. The electrical contact 158 may be a resistive contact having animpedance associated therewith. As noted above in relation to activecomponent 101, although four electrical contacts are illustrated in thisexample, it should be appreciated that other embodiments may have morethan four electrical contacts, and other embodiments may have less thanfour electrical contacts.

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view (F-F) of the passive component 151shown in FIG. 3A. In this example embodiment, face 170 includes a set ofprotrusions 162, 164 on which electrical contacts 152 and 154 arelocated. In some embodiments, electrical contacts 152 and 154 have aconvex shape. In some embodiments, the shape of electrical contacts 152and 154 is complementary to the shape of electrical contacts 102 and 104on active component 101.

FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view (E-E) of the passive component 151shown in FIG. 3A. It can be seen that face 170 includes a second set ofprotrusions 166, 168 on which electrical contacts 156 and 158 arelocated. In this example embodiment, electrical contacts 156 and 158 areshaped with a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape, such thatthe combination of electrical contacts 156 and 158 forms a substantiallypyramidal structure. In some embodiments, the wedge-like shape formed byelectrical contacts 106 and 108 and the pyramidal structure formed byelectrical contacts 156 and 158 are complementary.

FIG. 4A is an illustration of the first set of protrusions 162, 164 onthe passive component 151 being brought into proximity with a first setof recesses 112, 114 on the active component 101, according to someembodiments. FIG. 4B is an illustration of the passive and activecomponents being coupled with emphasis on the second set of protrusions166, 168 and recess 117.

When the active component 101 and the passive component 151 are coupled,the faces 120 and 170 are brought into proximity. In some embodiments,faces 120 and 170 may not physically touch, and the physical contact maybe limited to the electrical contacts. As illustrated, the first set ofconvex protrusions 162, 164 on the passive face 170 are accommodated bythe first set of concave recesses 112, 114 on the active face 120. Thisallows electrical contact 102 to form a connection with electricalcontact 152, and for electrical contact 104 to form a connection withelectrical contact 154. In some embodiments, the recesses 112, 114 onthe active component 101 are dimensioned larger than the protrusions162, 164 on passive component 151, which may allow the protrusions 162,164 to slide laterally within the recesses 112, 114 on active component101.

In some embodiments, the concave and convex electrical contacts on theactive and passive components may provide additional surface area fortransmission of high current electricity relative to conventional bladeconnectors, pole (rounded) connectors, or the like as are commonly usedpresently. This may reduce the likelihood of arcing, which is associatedwith high current passing through a small surface area of the electricalcontacts, which in turn causes the temperature of the localized area torise, presenting a potential fire hazard. An increased surface area fortransmission may reduce the likelihood of such fire hazards.

During coupling of the active component 101 and the passive component151, the second set of protrusions 166, 168 and electrical contacts 156and 158 (which form a pyramidal shape) are brought into contact with thewedge-shaped structure formed by the trapezoidal-shaped electricalcontacts 106 and 108 and recess 117. In some embodiments, the pyramidalshape and the wedge shape are dimensioned such that the wedge shape actsas a receptor for the pyramidal shape.

In some embodiments, the depth of the wedge-shaped structure on activecomponent 101 relative to face 120 is shallower than the depth of therecesses 112, 114 housing electrical contacts 102 and 104. The shallowerdepth of the wedge structure may allow electrical contacts 156 and 158to make contact with electrical contacts 106 and 108 before electricalcontacts 152 and 154 make contact with electrical contacts 102 and 104,respectively.

Such a configuration may be desirable if regional regulations or designconsiderations require that a certain contact be the first to makecontact when coupling, be the last to be separated when de-coupling, orboth. For example, in some regions, the regulating body may require thatthe ground contacts be the first to make contact when coupling, and thelast to separate when de-coupling. In some embodiments, this requirementmay be satisfied by selecting the ground contacts to be either 106 and156, or 108 and 158 (i.e. as one of the contacts on the wedge andpyramidal structures).

In some embodiments, during coupling of the active component 101 and thepassive component 151, the magnetic element 160 is brought intosufficient proximity with the ferromagnetic element 110 to exert amagnetic attractive force between the ferromagnetic element 110 and themagnetic element 160. In some embodiments, the active and passivecomponents may comprise a plurality of ferromagnetic elements 110 andmagnetic elements 160. As the active component 101 and passive component151 are brought closer together, the magnitude of the magneticattractive force increases.

In some embodiments, the magnitude of the magnetic attractive force issufficient to keep the active and passive components coupled, but not sostrong that an excessive physical force would be required in order toseparate the active and passive components. For example, the separationforce required should not be so strong that there is any risk ofdamaging power supply cables or the underlying electrical devices.Moreover, the magnetic attractive force may be tuned such that theactive and passive components would separate in the event of accidentalpulling (e.g. a person tripping over the cord). In some embodiments, themagnetic attractive force is approximately 3 to 5 pounds of force.However, an attractive force greater or less than this range can beselected based on the particular circumstances and components beingused.

In some embodiments, the use of the magnetic attractive force (anon-frictional force) to keep the active and passive componentsconnected (rather than the use of a frictional force) may lengthen thelifetime of one or more of the electrical contacts 102, 104, 106, 108,152, 154, 156, 158.

Many different configurations are contemplated for the active andpassive components. Although a particular configuration is describedabove, there are other configurations in which the electrical contactson the active component 101 can come into contact with the electricalcontacts on the passive component 151.

FIG. 9A is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the activecomponent 101. As shown, the contacts may take the form of concentricconducting circular or elliptical strips 102, 104, 106 and 108 on theactive component. FIG. 9B is a front view of the embodiment of theactive component 101 shown in FIG. 9A. The conducting rings may beseparated by insulating rings, so as to electrically isolate each of theneutral, hot, ground and resistive contacts. It should be appreciatedthat although the conducting strips are referred to herein as rings,there is no particular shape required. As such, the example embodimentsdescribed herein should not be taken to have a limiting effect on theconfigurations possible for the conducting strips on the active orpassive components. The insulating layers may be made of, for example,plastic. It should be appreciated that the electrical contacts can beassociated with any conducting ring, and that the configuration shown inFIGS. 9A-9C is merely an example. For example contact 102 can beassociated with one of the inner conducting rings, rather than theoutermost conducting ring, as shown.

FIG. 9C is a side view of the embodiment of the active component 101shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. As can be seen from the side profile of activecomponent 101, the conducting rings 102, 104, 106 and 108 may berelatively flat on the face 120 of the active component 101. In otherembodiments, the conducting rings may have varying depths within face120.

FIG. 9D is a perspective view of an example embodiment of passivecomponent 151. As shown, passive component 151 has a plurality ofprotrusions extending from face 170. One or more of electrical contacts152, 154, 156 and 158 may be associated with the protrusions extendingfrom face 170. The spacing between the protrusions on face 170 ofpassive component 151 may correspond to the spacing between theconducting rings on the example embodiment of active component 101, suchthat the electrical contacts 152, 154, 156 and 158 form electricalconnections with electrical contacts 102, 104, 106 and 108,respectively, on active component 101.

FIG. 9E is a side view of the passive component 151 shown in FIG. 9D. Asshown, electrical contacts 152, 154, 156 and 158 protrude from face 170of passive component 151. In the example embodiment shown, theprotrusion corresponding to ground contact 156 protrudes further fromface 170 than the protrusions corresponding to the other electricalcontacts 152, 154 and 158, which may correspond to, for example, thehot, neutral and resistive contact connections. This may allow for theground contact 156 to make contact with ground contact 106 on activecomponent 101 prior to any other electrical connections being formed,which may be desirable in some regions. Also shown in FIG. 9E areelectrical connectors 175 a-175 d, which provide connections to theunderlying electrical circuitry in the device (not shown) which isultimately being powered by the power source connected to activecomponent 101.

FIG. 9F is a front view of the example embodiment of the passivecomponent 151 shown in FIG. 9D. In this particular configuration, eachof contacts 152, 154, 156 and 158 lie along a diameter of the face,which is circular in this example. However, it should be appreciatedthat the shape of the passive component 151 is not necessarily circularin all embodiments, and that the electrical contacts need not be locatedalong a diameter. For example, any configuration in which one or more ofthe contacts 152, 154, 156 and 158 are spaced from the center of theface so as to align with the conducting rings on active component 101would provide the necessary functionality.

FIG. 9G is a cross-sectional view of the example passive component 151through axis A-A shown in FIG. 9F. In some embodiments, one or more ofthe protrusions may be biased outwardly from face 170 by resilientmembers 902. In some embodiments, the resilient member may be a spring.Biasing the contacts outwardly may provide an advantage, in that anyimprecisions in the machining of the length of either the protrusions orthe receiving cavity on the active component 101 may be accounted for byallowing protrusions to protrude by varying lengths from the face ofpassive component 151. This may ensure that proper contact between eachelectrical contact may be reliably achieved.

FIG. 9H is a perspective view of the example passive component 151 shownin FIG. 9D being brought into proximity with the example activecomponent 101 shown in FIG. 9A. As shown, concentric conducting rings onthe active component 101 to form an electrical connection with theprotrusions on the passive component 151. One benefit of such aconfiguration is that protrusions on the passive component 151 combinedwith the ring structure of the contacts on the active component 101 mayallow for a high variability in terms of the angular approach requiredto establish a connection. For example, no particular orientation of theactive and passive components is required in order to establish aphysical connection between the electrical contacts. This may beparticularly helpful for visually impaired users, and for powerreceptacles in hard-to-reach locations. In some embodiments, theconducting rings are separated by insulating rings. In some embodiments,the insulating rings may be made of plastic.

It should also be recalled that when joining the passive component 151to the active component 101 in FIG. 9H, the protrusion on the passivecomponent 151 corresponding to the ground contact 156 may protrude fromface 170 further than the other electrical contacts 152, 154 and 158.Thus, in this example embodiment, the conducting ring 106 correspondingto the ground contact may be the first contact which makes physicalcontact with the passive component 151 when the active and passivecomponents are being joined, and may also allow the ground contacts 156and 106 to be the last contacts to disconnect when the active andpassive components are being separated.

It should further be noted that in the previous example, the passivecomponent 151 contained protrusions, and the active component 101contained conducting rings and/or recesses. However, in someembodiments, the active component 101 may instead have protrusions, andthe passive component 151 may comprise the conducting rings. Thisspecification contemplates the contact configurations on the active andpassive components to be interchangeable, in some embodiments, providedthe necessary complementary relationships are maintained so as to allowelectrical connections to form between one or more of electricalcontacts 102, 104, 106, 108 and 152, 154, 156 and 158. Thus, the exampleembodiments described herein should not be seen as limiting the activecomponent 101 to only containing recesses for accepting protrusions fromthe passive component 151. The active component 101 may compriseprotrusions, or a combination of protrusions and recesses. The passivecomponent 151 may also comprise recesses, or a combination ofprotrusions and recesses, for establishing electrical connectionsbetween the contacts.

Turning now to another example embodiment, in some embodiments, one ormore contacts may be grouped together on active component 101 or passivecomponent 151. Moreover, one or more contacts may be biased outwardly byone or more resilient members 1002. FIG. 10A is a perspective view of anexample module 1000 of active component 101. In module 1000, electricalcontacts 106 and 108 are grouped together. As shown, the electricalcontact 106 in the middle (in this example, the ground contact)protrudes outwardly. In some embodiments, electrical contact 106 isbiased outwardly by a spring 1002 (as shown in FIG. 10D). In someembodiments, the ground contact 106 may be a spring-mounted plungercontact.

Electrical contact 106 may be separated from electrical contact 108 byan insulating ring 1001, which may be made of rubber or any othersuitable insulating material. As shown in FIG. 10D, the insulating ring1001 may extend throughout the body of module 1000 so as to electricallyisolate the electrical contact 106 from electrical contact 108. FIG. 10Bis a front view of the module 1000 shown in FIG. 10A. As shown in eachof FIGS. 10A, 100 and 10D, the module 1000 may further comprise agrounding pin 1003 for connecting to the power source.

FIG. 10E is a perspective view of an example module 1050 which iscomplementary in shape to module 1000. As shown, the module 1050 haselectrical contact 156 (in this example, the ground contact) disposed inthe center, with an insulating ring 1051 separating electrical contact156 and electrical contact 158. The module 1050 further comprisesgrounding pin 1053, which connects to the device (not shown). As shownin FIG. 10H, the insulating ring 1051 may extend throughout the body ofmodule 1050, so as to electrically isolate the contact 156 (e.g. theground contact) from contact 158 (e.g. the resistive contact). FIGS. 10Fand 10G provide further front and side views of the module 1050.

In some embodiments, active component 101 comprises module 1000, andpassive component 151 comprises module 1050. In this example, whenpassive component 151 is pressed into the active component 101, contact106 on module 1000 makes physical contact with contact 156 on module1050 prior to any of the other contacts. Once contact is made betweenthe modules 1000 and 1050, the contact 106 can be pressed into the bodyof module 1000, because the spring 1002 can be compressed to accommodatethe contact 106. Although the spring 1002 would exert a force operatingto separate the modules 1000 and 1050, it will be recalled that thepassive and active components may comprise one or more magnetic elements160 and ferromagnetic elements 110 which provide an attractive forcesufficient to overcome the force exerted by the spring 1002 on theplunger contact 106.

It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, module 1000 isintegrated into active component 101, and module 1050 may be integratedinto passive component 151. In other embodiments, the modules 1000 and1050 are separate parts which are adapted to be accommodated by activecomponent 101 and passive component 151, respectively. It should befurther noted that although the example modules 1000 and 1050 describedherein housed the ground and resistive contacts, other implementationsare contemplated in which any two of the hot, neutral, ground andresistive contacts are implemented within modules 1000 and 1050.

In some embodiments, circuitry is provided in the active device 101 tocontrol the establishment of an electrical path to the passive device151. That is, although the electrical contacts 102, 104, 106, 108 are inphysical contact with electrical contacts 152, 154, 156 and 158,respectively, the existence of a physical connection between thecontacts may not be sufficient to enable power to flow without thesatisfaction of further conditions, as described below, according tosome embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of components found in an example activecomponent 101, according to some embodiments. As depicted, the activecomponent 101 includes a logic unit 501, a transceiver 502, a sensor504, a power control unit 506, an energy metering unit 508, andconnectors 510. The active component 101 is configured to accept thehot, neutral and ground connections from a power source and providethese connections to a device connected to the passive component 151when certain conditions are satisfied. In some embodiments, the powerconnector 100 is configured not to allow power flow by default, in theabsence of one or more conditions being satisfied. This may ensure thatthe electrical contacts on the active component are always off and safeto the touch until the passive component 151 is present and fullyphysically connected to the active component 101. This may reduce thechance of electric shocks and electrocution. Moreover, some embodimentsof power connector 100 may prevent users from accidentally orintentionally tampering with an active component 101 to activate thedevice.

The logic unit 501 is configured to control the power flow from theactive component 101 to the passive component 151. As shown in FIG. 5,the hot in, neutral in, and ground in connections from a power sourceare taken as inputs for the active component 101. In some embodiments,logic unit 501 is configured to control a set of electrical relays(which act as switches) which allow the passage of the hot, neutral andground currents when in the closed state, and prevent the flow when inthe open state. Thus, when enabled by logic unit 501, the hot, neutraland ground currents can pass from the connectors 510 on the activecomponent 101 to the passive component 151.

Although FIG. 5 depicts the logic unit 501 as being internal to theactive component 101, it is contemplated that in some embodiments, logicunit 501 is external or separated from the active component 101. Inembodiments where the logic unit 501 is external or separate from theactive component 101, measurements from the hot, neutral and groundinputs may be transmitted to the logic unit 501 via transceiver 502. Thelogic unit 501 may then process the measurements and provide one or moreinstructions to the relays via transceiver 502 as to whether to allowcurrent flow or not.

FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram of the connectors 510 of an activecomponent, according to some embodiments. As shown, the exampleconnectors include electrical contacts 102, 104, 106 and 108. In thisexample, electrical contact 108 is a resistive contact and does notcarry any of the AC voltages from the power source. Rather than carryingthe voltages from the power source, the electrical contact 108 issupplied with a reference voltage (in this example embodiment, thereference voltage may be +5 V DC or any suitable DC reference voltage),and has a resistive element, with an impedance of Z1. As noted above,the impedance can be real (e.g. purely resistive), imaginary (e.g.purely reactive), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the DCreference voltage is obtained by taking a portion of the input signalfrom the AC power source and converting it to a DC signal. In someembodiments, the reference voltage may be an AC voltage.

FIG. 7 is a simplified block diagram of passive component 151. As shown,the electrical contacts 152, 154, 156 and 158 are present on passivecomponent 151. In this example, the left side of passive component 151illustrates the side of the passive component which interacts withactive component 101. The right side of passive component 151 in thisexample illustrates the output which is delivered to a recipientelectrical device (not shown). As with electrical contact 108 on theactive side, electrical contact 158 on the active side is a resistivecontact and is not used for passing the AC currents from the powersource to the recipient electrical device. Electrical contact 158 isinstead associated with an impedance, Z2, and connects to the neutralconnection. Impedance Z2 can be purely resistive, purely reactive, or acombination of real and imaginary impedances.

FIG. 8 is a simplified block diagram of the active and passivecomponents in a physically connected state, according to someembodiments. It should be noted that the existence of a physicalconnection between connectors 510 and passive component 151 may notsufficient on its own for power to flow. As illustrated, there arephysical connections between each of the contacts 102, 104, 106, 108 and152, 154, 156, 158 (which correspond to hot, neutral, and groundconnections in this example embodiment). It will also be noted that theconnection of contact 108 with contact 158 creates a connection betweenthe two impedances denoted as Z1 and Z2.

As a simplified example, if Z1 and Z2 are purely resistive contacts withresistances of R1 and R2, then according to circuit theory, this exampleconfiguration creates a voltage divider. That is, the voltage measuredat point A in FIG. 8 would be equal to the product of the input voltage(5 V DC in this example) with the ratio of R2/(R1+R2). A mathematicallyconvenient case exists in the case where R1 and R2 are equal. In thiscase, the voltage measured at point A would simply be one half of theinput voltage.

Returning to the example in FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the logic unit501 may periodically poll the state of various contacts. In someembodiments, the logic unit 501 is configured to poll the voltage atpoint A in FIG. 8. This may be accomplished by, for example, mapping apin of a microcontroller to point A. Based on the observed voltage, orother observed characteristics, the logic unit 501 may send a signal toclose the relays and allow power to flow between the active component101 and the passive component 151. In some embodiments, the logic unit501 may delay the flow of current after the requisite conditions forenabling current flow have been satisfied by a predetermined amount oftime. Delaying the flow of current may, for example, enhance the safetyof the connector 100 by ensuring that the electrical contacts 102, 104,106, 108 are not live while being held by a user, and become live aftera predetermined period of time in which it is not possible for the userto be touching the contacts.

There are many possible conditions which may be suitable for triggeringthe logic unit 501 to close the relays and allow power to flow. In someembodiments, the first impedance Z1 must be substantially equal to thesecond impedance Z2 in order for the logic unit 501 to enable powerflow. In such a case, the determination could be made simply byobserving that the voltage at point A is approximately one half of theinput voltage (e.g. an observed voltage of 2.5 V at point A when theinput voltage is 5 V). In some embodiments, a predetermined relation orcondition between the first and second impedances must be satisfied toenable power flow. The logic unit 501 may comprise one or more of acomparator, a processor, a microcontroller, or any other hardware and/orsoftware design suitable for making the determinations discussed herein.

A number of advantages may be derived from the use of a resistivesensing scheme with a power connector 100, according to someembodiments. For example, different active components 101 and passivecomponents 151 can be manufactured with specific impedance values whichsatisfy a certain criteria (e.g. equal impedance values). This wouldallow an additional layer of control over the power connector 100, sinceonly a particular passive component 151 which has the correct impedancevalue could be used with a particular active component 101. For example,in a house with young children, dangerous appliances or tools could beused with a passive component 151 which is only compatible with aparticular active component 101 located in a particular part of thehouse. This would aid in the prevention of the unwanted use of certainelectric devices.

Returning to FIG. 5, active component 101 may comprise a power controlunit 506. The power control unit 506 accepts the hot in and neutral inconnections from the power source. In some embodiments, the powercontrol unit 506 comprises one more electric relays, which act aselectronically controlled switches. The logic unit 501 provides a signalto power control unit 506 which indicates whether the relays should beopen (to prevent power flow) or closed (to allow the hot and neutralvoltages to flow). When the relays are closed, the hot in and neutral incurrents are allowed to flow to the plug connectors 510 and, optionally,to energy metering unit 508.

Power control unit 506 may comprise an AC/DC conversion unit 560 and apower transmission unit 562. A circuit diagram for an example embodimentis provided in FIG. 11. As illustrated, the AC/DC conversion unit 560may comprise various resistors and capacitors with a MOSFET-drivenoscillator integrated circuit (IC). As can be seen in FIG. 5, the powercontrol unit 506 accepts the hot in and neutral in connections from thepower source. In some embodiments, the IC is capable of converting aninput voltage from the power source in the range of 85 V AC-265 V AC toan output of 12 V DC, with up to 360 mA of supply current. In someembodiments, the supply current may exceed 360 mA. The 12 V DC outputmay be used in part to power the relay units in the power transmissionunit 562, as well as various other components (including, for example,one or more light emitting diodes which illuminate when power flow isenabled).

In some embodiments, the 12 V DC output is further sent to a DC to DCstep-down converter, which provides an output voltage of 5 V DC. In someembodiments, the 5 V DC output may be used to power the logic unit 501and the components in communication therewith. The 5 V DC signal mayalso be used as the reference signal for the voltage divider createdwhen electrical contacts 108 and 158 are connected. The example AC/DCconversion unit 560 described herein may provide system-level thermaloverload protection, and output short-circuit and open-circuit controlloop protection. Moreover, the example AC/DC conversion unit 560 may berated for a breakdown voltage of up to 700 V, which may be helpful inwithstanding input power surges.

In some embodiments, the power transmission unit 562 may comprise one ormore relays, which may be rated for various power levels. For example,such relays may be capable of delivering 30 Amperes of continuouscurrent with a maximum contact voltage of 400 V AC. The relays may becontrolled by logic unit 501, such that the relays may not conduct inthe absence of a signal from the logic unit 501 enabling the relays toclose. The relays may be electrically isolated from the lower powercomponents by way of, for example, an opto-isolator. Opto-isolators area type of solid state relay which may lower the amount of currentnecessary from the output of logic unit 501 in order to activate thedeactivate the relay contacts.

Active component 101 may also comprise a sensor 504 for detecting thepresence of a magnetic field. In some embodiments, sensor 504 is a HallEffect sensor or switch which generates a current when a sufficientlystrong magnetic field has been detected. In embodiments in which thepassive component includes a magnetic element 160 and the activecomponent includes a ferromagnetic element 110, the signal from sensor504 indicating the presence of a magnetic field may be used as aprecondition to enabling current flow between the active and passivecomponents. This would provide an additional layer of control andredundancy for the power connector 100.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the Hall Effect sensor 504 iscoupled to the opto-isolator 1101 such that in the absence of a magneticfield, the LED in the opto-isolator 1101 will not produce sufficientlight to activate the opto-isolator 1101. Thus, in the absence of alocalized magnetic field, the electrical contacts on the activecomponent 101 would be off and safe to the touch until a passivecomponent 151 with a magnetic element 160 is sufficiently close to theactive component for the generated magnetic field to be strong enough toactivate the opto-isolator.

Moreover, this provides an extra layer of control over what connectorsare able to be used with the active component 101. If one were toattempt to use a counterfeit passive component which had the appropriateshapes and correct electrical contact configurations, but did notinclude a magnetic element, the absence of the enabling signal fromsensor 504 would prevent the relays in the active component 101 fromclosing. Thus, particularly in the case of power connectors 100 usedoutdoors, the use of active component 101 would prevent an unauthorizedperson from connecting an electrical device to a user's outlet andstealing electricity. Conventional outlets found outdoors may be used byanyone and do not normally require authorization in order to conductelectricity.

In some embodiments, the active component 101 includes energy meteringunit 508. Metering unit 508 accepts the hot in and neutral inconnections from a power source or from the power control unit 506.Metering unit 508 is configured to measure and monitor the energyconsumption by the passive device 151 and any device connected thereto.In some embodiments, the energy consumption data may be stored inmemory. In some embodiments, the energy consumption data may betransmitted to the user, optionally in real-time. In some embodiments,the energy metering unit 508 may provide the energy consumption data tothe logic unit 501. This may allow the logic unit to detect anyoperational inconsistencies. For example, current leakage caused by aground fault can be measured by the energy metering unit 508, and thelogic unit 501 can disable power flow in response to the detection ofcurrent leakage. This may be useful in, for example, protecting users ofthe power connector 100 from electrocution or fire hazards.

Energy metering unit 508 may also provide an advantage in that theenergy usage of individual devices can be monitored. Generally, energymetering devices are used to monitor the energy usage associated with anentire home or apartment unit. Since the energy monitoring unit iscontained within power connector 100, the energy usage for individualdevices can be monitored, which may allow a user to identify deviceswhich are using a greater amount of power than expected. Such powerconsumption data may be particularly useful in industrial applications,where an abnormal power or energy consumption reading may be a usefulindicator that maintenance may be required for a machine or appliance,and may allow for preventative maintenance to be carried outproactively, rather than being unaware of a problem until the machine orappliance reaches a point of failure. This may reduce the likelihood ofcostly repairs.

In some embodiments, active component 101 includes a transceiver 502.Transceiver 502 may be a wireless transceiver capable of transmittingand receiving data. In some embodiments, the transceiver 502 isintegrated into logic unit 501 as, for example, an integrated processoror system on chip design. In some embodiments, the transceiver 502 isseparate from and optically coupled to logic unit 501. The transceiver502 provides the capability for the power connector 100 to communicatewith a user. In some embodiments, the transceiver 502 is configured tocommunicate with a smart home protocol (e.g. Zigbee Alliance, Z-wavealliance, or the like).

Communication may be effected by, for example, establishing a networkconnection, such as to the internet or to a local area network. Once acommunication connection is established, the transceiver may receivecommands from a user via, for example, a computer or mobile computingdevice using an appropriate communication protocol. Such user commandsmay include commands from the user which cause the logic unit 501 todisable power flow (by opening the relays), or to enable power flow (byclosing the relays).

As such, some embodiments of the present invention may allow a user toswitch the power connector 100 on and off remotely, provided acommunication link such as an Internet connection is available. This maybe useful if a user forgets to turn off a device and has already leftthe house. For example, if the user leaves the oven turned on, the usercould send a command from a remote network-connected device to powerconnector 100 and cause the power connector 100 to turn off, thusavoiding wasting energy, and reducing the risk of a fire.

FIG. 12 is an example flowchart illustrating a method 1200 of enablingcurrent flow between a power source and a device. At 1202, a firstcomponent is provided which has a first set of electrical contacts,including a first resistive contact having a first impedance. In someembodiments, the first component is active component 101. At 1204, asecond component is provided which has a second set of electricalcontacts, including a second resistive contact having a secondimpedance. In some embodiments, the second component is passivecomponent 151.

At 1206, an electrical connection is formed between the first and secondsets of contacts. An electrical connection may be formed, for example,by bringing active component 101 and passive component 151 into physicalcontact, such that the first set of electrical contacts 102, 104, 106,108 makes physical contact with the second set of electrical contacts152, 154, 156, 158.

Optionally, in some embodiments, a magnetic field may be detected whilethe active and passive components are in proximity. The magnetic fieldmay be generated, for example, by a magnetic element on the secondcomponent. In some embodiments, the magnitude of the detected magneticfield is compared to a threshold. The threshold magnitude may be, forexample, a required magnetic field strength to cause a Hall Effectsensor to output a particular voltage or other signal. In someembodiments, current flow might not be enabled if the detected magneticfield strength is insufficient. In some embodiments, the magnetic fieldstrength is polled to ensure the continuing presence of a sufficientlystrong magnetic field

At 1207, the first impedance and the second impedance are transmitted tothe logic unit 501. In some embodiments, the logic unit is integratedwith the first component. In embodiments in which the logic unit 501 isintegrated with the first component, the first and second impedances maybe transmitted via a system bus. In some embodiments, the logic unit isexternal or separate from the first component. In embodiments in whichthe logic unit is separate from the first component, the first andsecond impedances may be transmitted by a data connection. The dataconnection may include a wireless network connection (e.g. an 802.11wireless local area network, a wireless WAN, a cellular network (e.g. 4GLTE, EDGE, GPRS, and the like), or a wired data connection (e.g. wiredEthernet, power-line data connection, or the like). In some embodiments,the logic unit 501 may be part of a cloud-based or internet-basedcontrol system or smart home protocol (e.g. Zigbee, Z-wave Alliance, orthe like).

At 1209, the first impedance and the second impedance are compared. Ifthe first impedance matches the second impedance, then current flowbetween first component and second component is enabled at 1210. In someembodiments, the first and second impedances are periodically orcontinually monitored to verify that the first impedance still matchesthe second impedance. In some embodiments, the determination as towhether the first impedance matches the second impedance can beaccomplished through the use of a logic unit 501, for example by pollingthe voltage at point A in FIG. 8. If the first impedance does not matchthe second impedance, then current flow is not enabled between theactive and passive components at 1212.

It should be noted that the requirement in the example of FIG. 12 thatthe first impedance match the second impedance is merely an example of acondition related to the first impedance and the second impedance thatmust be satisfied. For example, other relationships between the firstimpedance and the second impedance may be used or configured inaccordance various control systems or smart home protocols.

In some embodiments, the power source is an alternating current (AC)power source. A portion of the AC voltage from the power source may beconverted to direct current (DC). The DC voltage may then be used forpowering various logic elements in the active component 101, as well asfor providing the reference DC voltage (e.g. 5 V) to the voltage dividercreated by the first and second resistive elements when the active andpassive components are joined. In some embodiments, the active andpassive components have one or more of hot, neutral and ground contacts,in addition to the resistive elements. The hot, neutral and groundcontacts may pass the AC voltage from the active component to thepassive component when current flow is enabled by logic unit 501 and,optionally, sensor 504.

In some embodiments, method 1200 further comprises providing aferromagnetic element on the face of the active component 101 andproviding a magnetic element on the face of the passive component 151.As noted above, the ferromagnetic element 110 need not generate amagnetic field, and can be any material which interacts with magneticfields (e.g. any suitable materials containing nickel, cobalt, iron, orthe like). In some embodiments, the magnetic element 160 is a magneticfield source (e.g. a bar magnet). An attractive force between the firstand second faces may then be induced when they are brought into physicalproximity (or within a predetermined distance), which may act to holdthe first and second components together. The current flow may beenabled when the magnitude of a detected magnetic field exceeds apredetermined threshold. In some embodiments, the attractive force maybe detected by a Hall effect sensor 504.

Moreover, in some embodiments, the presence of a sufficiently strongmagnetic field can be a pre-condition for allowing current flow. Forexample, a Hall Effect sensor 504 may provide a secondary enablingsignal which allows the current flow. Thus, in the absence of a secondcomponent which contains a magnetic element 160, the current flow mayalso be prevented from flowing from the first component to the secondcomponent.

In some embodiments, method 1200 further comprises receiving a commandto enable or disable current flow between the first and secondcomponents, and enabling or disabling the current flow in response toreceiving the command. In some embodiments, a transceiver 502 is used tosend and receive commands. In some embodiments, the transceiver 502 is awireless transceiver.

It should be noted that various inventive concepts may be embodied asone or more methods, of which multiple examples have been providedherein. The acts performed as part of a method may be ordered in anysuitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which actsare performed in an order different than illustrated, which may includeperforming some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequentialacts in illustrative embodiments, or vice versa.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention can beimplemented in any of numerous ways. For example, some features of someembodiments may be implemented using hardware, software, or acombination thereof. When implemented in software, the software code maybe embodied as stored program instructions that may be executed on anysuitable processor or collection of processors (e.g., a microprocessoror microprocessors), whether provided in a single computer ordistributed among multiple computers.

It should be appreciated that a computer may be embodied in any ofnumerous forms, such as a rack-mounted computer, a desktop computer, alaptop computer, or a tablet computer. Additionally, a computer may beembodied in a device not generally regarded as a computer, but withsuitable processing capabilities, including a Personal Digital Assistant(PDA), a smartphone, a tablet, a reader, or any other suitable portableor fixed electronic device.

Also, a computer may have one or more input and output devices. Thesedevices may be used, among other things, to present a user interface.Examples of output devices that may be used to provide a user interfaceinclude printers or display screens for visual presentation of output,and speakers or other sound generating devices for audible presentationof output. Examples of input devices that may be used for a userinterface include keyboards, microphones, and pointing devices, such asmice, touchpads, and digitizing tablets.

Such computers may be interconnected by one or more networks in anysuitable form, including networks such as a local area network (LAN) ora wide area network (WAN), such as an enterprise network, an intelligentnetwork (IN) or the Internet. Such networks may be based on any suitabletechnology and may operate according to any suitable protocol and mayinclude wireless networks, wired networks, and/or fiber optic networks.

The various methods or processes outlined herein may be coded assoftware that is executable on one or more processors that employ anyone of a variety of operating systems or platforms. Additionally, suchsoftware may be written using any of numerous suitable programminglanguages and/or programming or scripting tools, and also may becompiled as executable machine language code or intermediate code thatis executed on a virtual machine or a suitable framework.

In this respect, various inventive concepts may be embodied as at leastone non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium (e.g., acomputer memory, one or more floppy discs, compact discs, optical discs,magnetic tapes, flash memories, circuit configurations in FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays or other semiconductor devices, etc.)article(s) encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on oneor more computers or other processors, implement the various processembodiments of the present invention. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium or media may be transportable, such that theprogram or programs stored thereon may be loaded onto any suitablecomputer resource to implement various aspects of the present inventionas discussed above.

The terms “program” or “software” are used herein in a generic sense torefer to any type of computer code or set of computer-executableinstructions that can be employed to program a computer or otherprocessor to implement various aspects of embodiments as discussedabove. Additionally, it should be appreciated that according to oneaspect, one or more computer programs that when executed perform methodsof the present invention need not reside on a single computer orprocessor, but may be distributed in a modular fashion among differentcomputers or processors to implement various aspects of the presentinvention.

Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, such as programmodules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally,program modules include routines, programs, items, components, datastructures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. Typically the functionality of the program modulesmay be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.

Also, data structures may be stored in non-transitory tangiblecomputer-readable storage media articles in any suitable form. Forsimplicity of illustration, data structures may be shown to have fieldsthat are related through location in the data structure. Suchrelationships may likewise be achieved by assigning storage for thefields with locations in a non-transitory tangible computer-readablemedium that convey relationship between the fields. However, anysuitable mechanism may be used to establish relationships amonginformation in fields of a data structure, including through the use ofpointers, tags or other mechanisms that establish relationships amongdata elements.

All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood togovern over dictionary definitions, definitions in documentsincorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the definedterms.

The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein, unless clearlyindicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

As used herein, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of oneor more elements, should be understood to mean at least one elementselected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements,but not necessarily including at least one of each and every elementspecifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding anycombinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition alsoallows that elements may optionally be present other than the elementsspecifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase“at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elementsspecifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least oneof A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or,equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment,to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no Bpresent (and optionally including elements other than B); in anotherembodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, withno A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yetanother embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one,A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (andoptionally including other elements); etc.

The phrase “and/or,” as used herein, should be understood to mean“either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that areconjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in othercases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in thesame fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Otherelements may optionally be present other than the elements specificallyidentified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to thoseelements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, areference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-endedlanguage such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only(optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, toB only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet anotherembodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc.

As used herein, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as“and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list,“or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., theinclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a numberor list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items.

The phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing”, “involving”, andvariations thereof, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafterand additional items.

Having described several embodiments of the invention in detail, variousmodifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled inthe art. Such modifications and improvements are intended to be withinthe spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoingdescription is by way of example only, and is not intended as limiting.

What is claimed is:
 1. A power connector system for electricallyconnecting a power source to a device, the power connector systemcomprising: a first component comprising: a first set of electricalcontacts including a first electrically resistive element having a firstimpedance; and a first face having the first set of electrical contactsdisposed thereon; and a second component comprising: a second set ofelectrical contacts including a second electrically resistive elementhaving a second impedance; and a second face having the second set ofelectrical contacts disposed thereon; and wherein coupling the firstcomponent to the second component causes the first set of electricalcontacts to form an electrical connection with the second set ofelectrical contacts; and wherein a logic unit is configured to enablecurrent flow between the first component and the second component basedat least in part on the first impedance and the second impedance.
 2. Thepower connector system of claim 1, wherein the first component furthercomprises a ferromagnetic element disposed on the first face, the secondcomponent comprises a magnetic element disposed on the second face,wherein the magnetic element generates a magnetic field, and whereincoupling the first component to the second component generates anattractive force between the ferromagnetic element and the magneticelement.
 3. The power connector system of claim 1, wherein the logicunit is configured to enable current flow when the first impedance andthe second impedance satisfy a predetermined condition.
 4. The powerconnector system of claim 3, wherein the predetermined condition is thefirst impedance being equal to the second impedance.
 5. The powerconnector system of claim 1, wherein the logic unit is furtherconfigured to delay the enabling of the current flow for a predeterminedtime period.
 6. The power connector system of claim 1, furthercomprising an energy metering unit for monitoring energy consumption bythe device.
 7. The power connector system of claim 1, further comprisinga transceiver configured to receive commands.
 8. The power connectorsystem of claim 7, wherein the transceiver is a wireless transceiver. 9.The power connector system of claim 1, wherein the first set ofelectrical contacts further comprises hot, neutral and ground contacts.10. The power connector system of claim 2, further comprising aswitching element for enabling a flow of current and a sensor, whereinthe sensor is configured to: detect the magnetic field; and cause theswitching element to enable the current flow when a magnitude of themagnetic field exceeds a threshold.
 11. The power connector system ofclaim 1, wherein the second face comprises a first set of protrudingportions and a second set of protruding portions, and wherein the firstface comprises a first set of recessed portions for accepting the firstset of protruding portions, and a second set of recessed portions foraccepting the second set of protruding portions.
 12. The power connectorsystem of claim 11, wherein the first set of protruding portions have aconvex shape and the first set of recessed portions have a concaveshape.
 13. The power connector system of claim 11, wherein the secondset of protruding portions form a pyramidal shape and the second set ofrecessed portions form a shape complementary to the pyramidal shape. 14.The power connector system of claim 1, wherein the first set ofelectrical contacts are disposed on a plurality of substantiallyconcentric contacts disposed on the first face.
 15. The power connectorsystem of claim 14, wherein the second set of electrical contacts aredisposed on a plurality of protrusions extending from the second face.16. The power connector system of claim 14, wherein the plurality ofprotrusions are spaced apart by a distance, wherein the distance issubstantially equal to a distance separating the plurality of concentriccontacts.
 17. The power connector system of claim 1, wherein a groundcontact and a resistive contact of the first set of electrical contactsare disposed on a plurality of substantially concentric circulatorcontacts, and wherein the ground contact is biased outwardly by aresilient member.
 18. The power connector system of claim 17, wherein aground contact and a resistive contact of the second set of electricalcontacts are disposed on a plurality of substantially concentriccircular contacts, and wherein, when coupled, the ground contact of thesecond component compresses the resilient member.
 19. The powerconnector system of claim 1, wherein the power source is an alternatingcurrent power source, and wherein the current flow is an alternatingcurrent flow.
 20. The power connector system of claim 1, furthercomprising a gasket configured to seal an interface between the firstface and the second face when the first component and the secondcomponent are coupled.
 21. The power connector system of claim 1,wherein the logic unit is separate from the first component.
 22. Amethod of enabling a current flow between a power source and a device,the method comprising: providing a first component having a first set ofcontacts on a first face, wherein the first set of contacts includes afirst electrically resistive element having a first impedance; providinga second component having a second set of contacts on a second face,wherein the second set of contacts includes a second electricallyresistive element having a second impedance; forming an electricalconnection between the first set of contacts and the second set ofcontacts; enabling current flow between the first component and thesecond component based at least in part on the first impedance and thesecond impedance.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first set ofcontacts comprise hot, neutral, ground, and resistive contacts, andwherein the second set of contacts comprise hot, neutral, ground andresistive contacts.
 24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:connecting the first face to the power source, wherein the power sourceis an alternating current power source, and wherein the hot, neutral andground contacts provide alternating current to the hot, neutral andground contacts of the second component.
 25. The method of claim 24,further comprising converting a portion of the alternating current powersource to direct current, and wherein the resistive contact of the firstcomponent provides direct current to the resistive contact of the secondcomponent.
 26. The method of claim 22, wherein enabling the current flowcomprises enabling the current flow when the first impedance and thesecond impedance satisfy a condition.
 27. The method of claim 26,wherein the condition is the first impedance matching the secondimpedance.
 28. The method of claim 22, further comprising: providing aferromagnetic element on the face of the first component; providing amagnetic element on the face of the second component, wherein themagnetic element produces a magnetic field; inducing an attractive forcebetween the first face and the second face when the first face and thesecond face are separated by less than a predetermined distance; andenabling the current flow when a magnitude of the magnetic field exceedsa predetermined threshold.
 29. The method of claim 22, furthercomprising: receiving a command to enable or disable the current flowbetween the first component and the second component; and responsive toreceiving the command, enabling or disabling the current flow.